The Festival of Pink Bags continued with a delicate pale pink bag from W&G -Love it!

Took it along on a family excursion to Southbank:

The males in our family seem impressed by 1 William Street, the recently opened Government building in Brisbane. But to me it is completely out of proportion to our city buildings, architecturally ugly and unimaginative. Will I be sent to the Tower?Thoughts?Enjoy the post-Christmas lull, time for board games, leftovers, family and friends.XXXX

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Hello,Tropical storms have been coming almost every day lately.Sometimes with hail...

After so many years of dry Summers, it is like going back into the past, when a daily afternoon storm was the norm.At last the grass is becoming green once again.

Yes, finished the presents...

Our little Canadian grandson, C2, is fascinated by kookaburras, after a real-life encounter with one in our own personal gum tree.I put these two under the Christmas tree because they were part of my father's collection...and C2 likes to play with them. So glad I didn't throw them away when we cleaned out Dad's room..

Dear M sent me a beautiful Nativity Christmas card.Perfection. (They are not easy to find these days, sadly)

Another friend, also known as M, gave me this sweet dish...Love it too.Perhaps for chocolates on our Christmas table?

For my recent birthday, Mr C spoilt me with this beautiful fine glass cake stand and cloche.Always wanted one of these.The Christmas cake will look spectacular under there...Counting my Blessings, thank you all for these special gifts.

I'll pop back on Christmas Eve, but meantime, I am off to the kitchen to cook up a storm, gingerbread, a Noel log, ham....Be good, and Santa will come.XXXX

Boil water in the cooking pot, then boil the cloth in the pot for about an hour. Put on rubber gloves, remove cloth from pot, wring out excess water. Set cloth aside while making pudding, but don't let it dry out.

In medium saucepan, combine soaked fruit, brown sugar and butter. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves, and it begins to boil. Transfer mix to large bowl, cool to room temperature.

Spread pudding cloth on bench, sprinkle enough plain flour on cloth to cover an area 40cm in diameter, leaving flour a little thicker in the centre.

Place pudding mix in centre of cloth, on flour. Gather cloth evenly around it, avoiding any deep pleats, then pat into round shape. Tie cloth tightly with string, as close to mixture as possible. Pull ends of cloth tightly to ensure pudding is as round and firm as possible. Do not worry if it looks a little small, it will get bigger. Knot two pairs of corners together to make the pudding easier to remove.

Place stand in pot so pudding does not stick and burn. Lower pudding into boiling water, tying free ends of string to the pot handles to suspend the pudding. Cover the boiler with tight-fitting lid and boil for 3 hours, replenishing water as needed to maintain water level.

To remove, untie pudding from handles, place a wooden spoon through the knotted calico loops to lift pudding from water. Place pudding in a large colander, cut the string and carefully peel back the cloth. Turn pudding onto a plate, carefully peel cloth completely and allow to cool. The flour which was sprinkled on the cloth has become a 'skin' covering the pudding, retaining its moisture. It is important to remove the cloth while the pudding is hot, to prevent the skin sticking to the cloth. It should also be removed before storage as mould can form.

After pudding comes to room temperature, wrap it in plastic wrap and store in fridge for up to 2 months.

On Christmas Day, boil the calico cloth again, tie the pudding into the cloth as before and boil for 1 hour.

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About Me

This blog is a celebration of all things which bring me fun and joy. I am a retired mother and grandmother living in a leafy suburb of Brisbane, Australia, surrounded by abundant birdlife. I love art and art history, architecture, antiques and design, and am a volunteer gallery guide. Other interests include choral singing, sewing, fashion, gardening, and travel. And I absolutely love Christmas.
Email me at trishkellar@reinforcements.com.au